Orlando Airport Shut Down As Armed Suspect Held

Central Florida: A terrifying situation was created at Orlando International Airport Wednesday when an armed suspect was held speaking with a crisis negotiator.

The man was taken into custody nearly after three-hours standoff with the police,said authorities, news agency AP reported. The man was seen screaming on the floor near the rental car area of the airport as the cops surrounded him, he pulled out a gun saying, ‘You’re going to need mental therapy after this.’ The first floor of terminal ‘A’ was cleared by the officers as soon as the incident was reported. It happened around 7:24 (local time), airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell told the Sentinel.

“I saw all the cops with the long rifles and started shaking,” she said. “It didn’t seem real,” said a passenger who witnessed the situation was quoted as saying by news agency, AP. The Orlando police tweeted saying, “there is no active shooter, no shots fired”. The situation created a chaos at the airport as video and photos posted online showed police with their weapons drawn. All the roads to the airport were eventually shut down, the Florida Highway patrol tweeted.

Earlier this year, authorities say an Alaska man killed five people inside a baggage claim area at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.